7aum Arivu

One of the best films in India. It is a film beyond its time. Suriya who always does new movies has given us another spectaculation which is great. A very brave and good try. The whole crew has stepped its foot beyond a limit producing great fictions. I appreciate 7am Arivu. ATB for your future projects. Huge Love Actor Suriya!

Social messages and connecting back to the history are two themes that have awed movie makers of this part of the country. Murugadoss, once again finds his path in the same. Well done this time to kindle the curiosity in you and provoke some native jingoism. We have seen that in plenty in the past of Tamil cinema, thankfully this time, its not the loud war-cry-kind of jingoism but done in its subtle way. However that said, 7aum Arivu is loaded with the 'templated movie formats' needed to appease all classes of audience as the movie circuit popularly puts it.

7aum Arivu starts of brilliantly connecting back to history as how Bodhidharma went past Tamilnadu, past India to China to preach medicine and self defense, two most important elixirs. And then how centuries later, the Chinese attempt to use the same against India and thrawt the very roots of it. Thoughts of a bio-war and Tamil oppression in the movie gives that tinge of the current political undercurrent prevalent, Murugadoss scores here. Long story short, no spoilers, Aravind is in the line of progeny of Bodhidharma and Subha the research scholar trying to prove that DNAs carry hereditary characteristics of ancient forefathers and hence the DNA of Bhodidharama's descendants may have the immense sense of healing and protection, which if invoked is of great benfit to mankind. Of course the Chinese unhappy about this pursuit, the economical intentions that are revealed later, have their martial arts specialist Dong Lee on a mission to end the research of Subha and naturally begin the bio-war against India. Now why just India? Thats leaves you pondering, maybe the subtle political undercurrent between India-China.

Suriya is a treat to watch. Graceful as Bhodhidharma and stylish as Aravind, you can't ask for more from this professional. Doubt if anybody else could have pulled of this with such ease. Shruti has her part pretty well played as Subha. Women playing significant roles in a Murugadoss movie doesn't surprise us and naturally deserves due apperciation. The stone-cold bad man,Johnny Tri Nguyen from China does his part neatly. His stunts are probably the only note-worthy martial arts expo in the movie. Songs are catchy, well placed and passes on with the movie. Ravi K Chandiran leaves his magic behind in the songs as usual. With that said, the movie though kindles your curiosity to go google and run thru wikipedia to ascertain facts and fiction, the movie leaves you with the big lows of the typical format-movie problem. The stunts are thoroughly disappointing. A movie about a martial arts legendary with no spectacle of martial arts is on the downside. Peter Hein's trademark flying cars and human bodies are plenty and leaves a sore in the mind.

A great storyline, a subtle jingoism, good performances from Surya and Shruti and a few here and there 'so-called-appease-all' movie making style,leaves you wanting a bit more from Murugadoss, maybe he has reserved it for the Hindi version with Aamir Khan if he does one. :) 7am Arivu, a neat entertainer, picks your thoughts at places and leaves you wanting for more at certain others.

7aam Arivu - 6.5/10 - 7aam Arivu as promised managed to deliver a strong message weaved with a sturdy historic story. Certainly any 'Tamilan' who watches this film, can feel the pride of knowing about an ancestor like Bodhidharman. A.R.Murugadoss have caught such a solid premise and the initial 20 minutes of the film really sets the tone really big.

However, what makes it fall apart is the weak and unfocused screenplay which often slips out of the main objective of the story. Badly placed songs and redundant love track (which comes immediately after the epic 20 minutes start), are some of the examples of the wandering screenplay. The vision of the director and what he wanted to tell the world is very clear by just seeing the visuals and the central plot itself, therefore some of the preachy dialogues could be avoided. In addition, Harris Jeyaraj - Murgadoss combination is surprisingly missing in this film.

On the brighter side, 7aam Arivu boasts with good use of technicality. Be it Ravi Varman's subtle yet epic cinematography or Rajeevan's grand art direction, they impress to the core, enhancing the story. All the actors score well in their given role but the real scene stealer is Johnny Tri Nguyen who casually cake-walks his role with such a majestically menacing posture. However the over use of 'Nokku Varmam' by the character rips the whole genuine feel of the art.

As expected by many, 7aam Arivu might not be a next Ghajini but really scores in the originality and the patriotic feel towards the Tamil. In overall 7aam Arivu is not a disappointing fare but not a remarkable one either.

7am Arivu had been hyped to a great extent and that became it's biggest hurdle to success...

Still a decent effort! Pros: Great effort by Surya!Very convincing as a Bodhidharman. Shruti Hassan (minus the mispronunciations) makes a good debut with a meaty role. Interesting storyline. Great cinematography. Jonny Ngyugen is a fantastic villain.

Cons: The movie's flow is interrupted by unnecessary obnoxious songs. Harris's BGMs are a huge letdown. Repetitive stunt sequences bore the audience at times. Certain scenes involving pathetic graphics could have been avoided.

Overall Verdict: I still liked 7Am arivu.... But it is not a mass entertainer catering to all the sections of movie audience... A decent effort...Worth a watch!

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7am Arivu is one of the most-anticipated and most-awaited film during the Diwali season and certainly, it is worth waiting for such a wonderfully crafted film.

Surya has done a magnificent job. His portrayal of both Aravind, the circus artist and Bodhidharma is simply brilliant. Hats off to him for giving us such an excellent performance. Shruthi Haasan, making her debut in Tamil cinema plays her role as Subha Srinivasan perfectly. The role of a researcher is tailor-made for her. Apart from the lead stars, Johnny Nguyen executed his role as the suave and menacing Dong Li with sheer excellence.

The storyline which links history with science is a novel concept. Furthermore, it is about South Indian history which have been never explored to such a deep extent. A.R. Murugadoss proved yet again that he could deal with a complex subject without hassle.

Ravi K.Chandran's cinematography is the key element of the film. His picturization is brilliant, be it ancient China or present-day Chennai or the songs. Anthony's editing maintains the pace of the film. The action sequences by Peter Hein is another highlight of the film. The brief hand-to-hand combat sequence in the climax is of top quality.

Harris Jayaraj's BGM fits the mood of the scenes perfectly although it is repetitive in certain scenes. The songs are good but it does not bring back the Ghajini effect. Art direction by Rajeevan is top-class, especially the Chinese village and the lab. One word - top class.

The only minus point of the film is the CGI shots. It could have been better but that does not affect the entire film. Overall, 7am Arivu is another brilliantly executed subject by Murugadoss. The amount of hard- work by Surya and the rest is clearly evident. A.R. Murugadoss proved again that he is one man who is capable of delivering a world-class movie.